This has been very much a hot-button issue since last January. All of the popular sport fishing magazines carried a full-page, full-color ad sponsored by every sport-fishing manufacturer you can thin of. The ad was an "open letter to the governor of the state of Alaska", asking all concerned fishermen to sign a petition (online) which would encourage the governor to support the local citizen's initiative... the Alaska Clean Waters Initiative.

A citizen's initiative - the Clean Water Initiative -was placed on the ballot in Alaska. It would have placed some very strict but necessary and legitimate controls on the mining industry in Alaska regarding environmental and pollution issues.

Citizen's initiatives are held above the political fray. Elected officials are prohibited from taking a public stance on citizen initiatives. They are supposed to "pass or fail" on their own merits, sans any governmental "influence".

In spite of this, and prior to the voting, Governor Sarah Plain publicly announced her support in favor of the mining companies and in opposition to the many environmental groups, native American tribes, and local sport and commercial fishing groups (which would ostensibly include even her own husband, Todd) that had worked very hard to promote the initiative. Even Alaska's senator Ted Stevens had come out in support of the initiative and against the mining companies (stating that he didn't believe the mining companies were capable of adequately protecting the environment).

At the very least, Governor Palin's actions are unethical. Under state law they may even be illegal.

The proposed "Pebble Mine" could (likely would) destroy the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery. Something like 95% of the salmon consumed in the U.S. comes out of Bristol Bay. The headwaters of Bristol Bay would be destroyed if the mining companies are allowed to construct the world's largest open pit mine in this pristine environment.

I don't consider myself to be a tree-hugger. But this is way too much...

Gerry Romer

BTW It's too late to support the initiative. On August 27th - just days before being named as John McCain's running mate - Sarah Palin successfully killed the citizen's initiative. The citizen's movement to control the impact of the world's largest open pit mine (at least 2 miles in diameter - picture Mt. LeConte gone and replaced by a 2 mile wide hole) and a 20 square mile tailings, is still actively fighting the development of the mine. For more info, please go to: http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/